Gazprom sets ultimatum for Moldova gas pricing

11.10, 16:53

Russia and Ukraine still can’t meet halfway on a gas price, with analysts saying that despite political developments, Ukraine won’t be able to do without Russian imports in the near future.

03.10, 12:24

Turkey has refused to extend a gas supply contract with Russia after failing to secure a 20% discount from Gazprom.

06.09, 03:12

Ukraine says it is now willing to negotiate over gas prices with Russia, after the Kremlin said it would rigorously defend the current deal in international courts.

Published: 03 November, 2011, 17:20

Gazprom sets ultimatum for Moldova gas pricing

TAGS: Markets, Russia and the global economy, Resources, Big deal, Gas

In the latest winter gas-price wrangle, Moldova is courting Gazprom for a discount on its gas supplies. A new deal for 2012-2016 must be signed before the year is out.

“I know for sure that Moldova will get a discount. It remains to see how substantial it will be. That will be announced in the coming days by the Premier, who has been holding talks. We have fulfilled our obligations and agreed certain concessions,” says Valery Lazar, Vice-Premier and Economy Minister of Moldova.

Following a meeting with Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Gazprom will make concessions, if the government of Moldova offers access to strategically important sectors for Russian investors.

“The discussion of a new contract for Russian gas deliveries to Moldova will be based on proposals submitted by the Moldovan government on Gazprom’s participation in investment projects in Moldova.”

Gazprom owns 50% of the Moldovan-Russian company Moldovagaz, with 35.3% of the company owned by the Moldovan government and 13.44% owned by Transdniestra, the main bank of the Trans-Dniester Republic.

The agreement signed in 2006 between Moldovagas and Gazprom expires at the end of 2011, and the new contract must be signed before the year-end.

For 2008-2011, the price was calculated using market principles with a lowering coefficient. The sides agreed gradually to raise the price of energy resources up to the average European level in Q4 2011, with Moldova to finally import gas at $400.47 per 1.000 cubic meters.

The Moldovan authorities consider such prices overly "burdensome for the economy and the population of the republic", and are asking for a discount.

As compensation for price hikes, the government is seeking to raise tariffs for the transit of gas across Moldovan territory.

Vitaliy Krukov, analyst at IFD-Kapital, says all Gazprom contractors in Europe ask for price reductions, “arguing against the additional oil component in price calculations, and insist on contract reviews with the spot price component.”

Today: 14:33

European leaders have threatened to withhold aid to Greece if it votes against the 130-billion-euro EU rescue plan in December’s referendum. The showdown came as a two-day G20 summit opens in French Cannes.

Today: 19:30

Moscow has okayed a draft proposal to smooth out remaining issues with Georgia, which had blocked Russia’s accession to the WTO. The move should put an end to the 18-year saga of the country’s attempts to join the organization.

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Congress subpoenas Obama over Solyndra

19.09, 23:09

While a federal investigation looks into how a loan of $500 million from the government couldn’t save the Solyndra solar panel plant, one member of Obama’s administration is asking some bigger questions — like “Solyndra who?”

02.09, 01:48

Despite support from President Obama, a solar-panel manufacturer in California is closing its doors and laying off more than a thousand employees, citing foreign competition as the impetus that has made domestic production no longer “scalable.”

15.09, 21:00

An Air Force general is telling reporters that the Obama administration suggested he alter a prepared Congressional testimony in order to favor a company linked to a huge Democratic donor, potentially threatening the national security of the US.

08.09, 23:02

The FBI executed an early-morning raid today on the solar panel plant that President Barack Obama swung by last year and celebrated for their green-friendly products.

02.08, 00:08

NASA called it the most successful manned flight ever achieved. Forty years ago this week, the astronauts of Apollo 15 left their lunar module, hopped into a four-wheeled rover and took a joyride across the surface of the Moon.

Published: 03 November, 2011, 21:56

AFP Photo / Jewel Samad

TAGS: Manufacturing, Scandal, Obama, Politics, Corruption, USA, Government Spending

The White House is outraged today and says a request from Congress to hand-over emails pertaining to the massive loan the Obama administration okayed for Solyndra shortly before the solar panel plant went bankrupt is unprecedented.

A Thursday morning vote from a House of Representatives panel will send a subpoena to Pennsylvania Avenue as lawmakers consider the circumstances around the $535 million loan guarantee that the White House offered to Solyndra despite Republicans urging against it. President Obama made a personal appearance at the Fremont, California Solyndra factory and touted the company for its production. Now Congress wants to see documents and emails from Obama — even ones from his personal Blackberry — that might unearth ties between his administration and the deal went sour.

Upon announcing their closure in September, Solyndra officials said that the help extended from the White House wasn’t enough to keep them in business.

“Solyndra could not achieve full-scale operations rapidly enough to compete in the near term with the resources of larger foreign manufacturers,” Solyndra officials said in a statement back in early September. Republicans were weary of the loan that Obama had extended to Solyndra, with Representatives Fred Upton from Michigan and Cliff Stearns of Florida calling it at the time “the latest casualty of the Obama administration’s failed stimulus.” Upton, also chairman of the full House Energy and Commerce committee, says today’smove is Congress’ “last resort.”

Eric Schultz, White House spokesperson, responded that the vote today was “unprecedented and unwarranted” but said that so far the president has provided over 85,000 pages of documentations with more forthcoming.

Some Republican lawmakers believe that Solyndra investors were also donors to the Obama campaign and could have coerced the president into agreeing to the loan.

Schultz insists that isn’t the case, however, and told reporters today, "All of the materials that have been disclosed affirm what we said on day one: this was a merit-based decision made by the Department of Energy.”

Before filing for bankruptcy, Solyndra says they used all but $8 million of the $535 million offered by the DoE. The company is also indebted to private investors to the tune of nearly $70 million additionally.

With the House of Representatives under Republican control, it comes as no surprise that the GOP agreed to send a subpoena to Obama as they attempt to discredit his administration as the Solyndra scandal continues to escalate two months after they first acknowledged going under. Before officially going bankrupt, their California factory also suffered an early-morning raid by the FBI.

“It was quite a shock," Solyndra spokesman Dave Miller told Silicon Valley’s Mercury News after the early September raid. "When I got here at 7 a.m. they were already here."

Solyndra was the third American solar panel manufacturer to call it quits this year.

03.11, 21:02

Anonymous moved from targeting Wall Street, corrupt governments and corporate sites last month. The latest attack from the hacking collective rather was directed at an unaware group that navigated the web for child porn assumingly undetected.

03.11, 22:57

As unemployment remains stagnant, it’s easy to see that impoverished Americans are growing in numbers. A recent analysis of census data offers an even sadder insight, as a report reveals that 1-in-15 Americans live below half of the poverty line.

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Right Cause calls for new perestroika and Lenin reburial

17.10, 18:31

The Right Cause party must return 701.4 million rubles (22.8 million dollars) to the party’s former leader Mikhail Prokhorov, according to his press service. He also believes that the party is preparing a scheme not to refund the investments.

Parliamentary Elections 2011 15.09, 18:03

Established Russian politicians have said that the split in the Right Cause party is an indication that pro-business rightist forces are not yet ready to operate in Russian politics.

15.09, 11:08

In a video address published on the Internet, Mikhail Prokhorov suggested that his allies quit Right Cause and found a new political party.

Published: 03 November, 2011, 17:52

Vyacheslav Smirnov and Georgy Bovt at the constituent conference of the Moscow branch of the Pravoye Delo (Right Cause) pro-Kremlin party (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Fedorenko)

TAGS: Russia, Politics, History

The Right Cause party has called for “urgent de-bolshevization” of Russian society. In a statement released on Thursday, it suggested amending legislation to rule out the very possibility of any repetition of totalitarianism.

­“We are deeply convinced that there is a need for an unequivocal historic assessment of totalitarianism as a system of government, and for measures which would minimize the risk of its repetition in our history and in everyday life,” the statement reads. 

The party believes that totalitarian ideas pose a threat to today’s Russian society, as for some, totalitarianism seems very attractive. 

“Totalitarianism for us is not a relic of the past, but a possible alternative, and the young, those who have never lived in a totalitarian society, often meet this alternative with enthusiasm,” the party’s statement reads.
Legislative changes should go hand-in-hand with certain symbolic acts. A final reburial of Lenin’s body, and the creation of a memorial to victims of the Civil War in the Mausoleum could put an end to the history of totalitarianism in mass consciousness, the Right Cause is convinced. 

“These simple acts, natural for civilized society, would finally unite society and become a basis for stability,” the authors of the document believe. “A society which makes distinctions between people according to their property status stands no chance of achieving stability and prosperity.”

03.11, 14:51

The Russian Education Ministry has reversed its decision to graduate the press secretary of the Investigative Committee as a lawyer after discovering that the official’s second academic degree was forged.

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Speaker wants political parties out of upper house

21.09, 11:41

The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, has elected former St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko as its new speaker.

09.09, 14:50

Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, is ready to send a fact-finding mission to Syria to assess the situation in the country.

Arab world protests 11.07, 21:13

The former No. 3 man in Russian politics is ready for more work – and for revenge.

Published: 03 November, 2011, 12:45

St Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko (RIA Novosti / Vadim Zhernov)

TAGS: Russia, Politics

Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko suggests suspending senators’ party membership for the time of their work in the upper house of the Russian parliament.

­“The upper and lower houses have different tasks. The lower house is made up of representatives of political parties, while the Federation Council is formed from representatives of the regions,” Matvienko told Izvestia daily. “We should be objective in our decisions, without looking back at our political positions.” 

However, she pointed out that “no one can forbid senators to be in sympathy with the ideas of this or that party”.

Former speaker of the Federation Council and ex-leader of the Fair Russia party Sergey Mironov had also supported the idea of suspending party membership for upper house members. Nevertheless, he had not put the idea into practice. 

Valentina Matvienko noted that, intentionally or not, her predecessor used his position of speaker in the interests of his political power.

“No doubt the position of [Federation Council] chairman worked well for his image of party leader and for Fair Russia in general,” she said. “And when Sergey Mironov voiced his stance as party leader, naturally his words were also perceived as a statement from the Federation Council head.”

Valentina Matvienko added that it would be dishonest not to mention that the administrative resources of the upper house were used in the interests of the party. 

“I don’t want to give specific examples, although I have plenty of them. But the fact that the Federation Council chairman was a party leader was to the detriment of the common work. The Federation Council should not be associated with parties,” she concluded.

Today: 12:36

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the early favorite in next year’s presidential elections, was listed by Forbes magazine as the second-most powerful man in the world.

Today: 12:51

Moscow has harshly criticized a US court’s guilty verdict in the Viktor Bout case and vowed to secure the former Soviet military officer’s return to Russia.

Viktor Bout case

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A Bout face: Moscow lobbies for Bout's return

02.11, 22:14

A New York jury has convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout of trying to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terror group. He could face from 25 years to life in prison.

Viktor Bout case 31.10, 22:49

A New York court has postponed issuing a final verdict in the case of Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who is accused of international arms trafficking. The jury is expected to deliver a verdict on Tuesday.

Viktor Bout case 11.10, 21:32

The trial of Russian businessmen Viktor Bout, an alleged international arms dealer who stands accused of trafficking weapons to terrorists, has started in New York. But Bout’s family as well as experts doubt the trial will be fair.

Viktor Bout case 25.08, 15:23

The prosecution’s position in the case of Viktor Bout, who is standing trial in the US for alleged weapons trafficking, has sustained a serious blow after the judge ruled that statements Bout made before his arrival in the US be suppressed.

Viktor Bout case 05.08, 16:18

Viktor Bout, who is standing trial in the US for alleged trafficking of weapons, gave an account of the hardships he endured in Thai and American prisons and the sleazy political dealings which may be behind his case.

Viktor Bout case

Published: 03 November, 2011, 12:51

Viktor Bout (AFP Photo / NICOLAS ASFOURI)

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TAGS: Arms, Conflict, Crime, Russia, Politics, Human rights, Law, USA, Egor Piskunov, Matt Trezza

Moscow has harshly criticized a US court’s guilty verdict in the Viktor Bout case and vowed to secure the former Soviet military officer’s return to Russia.

On Wednesday, a New York Federal jury found Bout, 44, guilty of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terrorist group. He will be sentenced on February 8, 2012, and may get from 25 years to life behind bars.

Commenting on the decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it will continue taking “all measures needed to ensure the legal rights and interests of Viktor Bout as a Russian citizen.”

“Our goal is to secure his return to his home country,” the ministry’s spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a commentary published on the body’s official webpage.

Moscow once again pointed out that Bout – a Russian citizen – was illegally extradited from Thailand “under unprecedented political pressure from American authorities.”

What was “absolutely unacceptable,” Lukashevich stressed, is that “unlawful methods of physical and psychological influence” – which run contrary to the international law and US international obligations – were used during the “operation” involving American special services officers, and again during the investigation.

The Russian side expressed its indignation over the negative atmosphere around the Bout case which, was deliberately stirred up “at the direct instigation of the US executive power” and impeded an impartial investigation into the facts.

“One cannot consider it normal that a Russian citizen was kept in custody in unjustifiably harsh conditions, obviously aimed at making him agree to a plea bargain,” the spokesman said.

These factors call into question “the very grounds on which the prosecution was based and, correspondingly, the justice of the court verdict.”

The Russian lower house believes that the New York court decision could be politically motivated.

The verdict was delivered in a style of “typical American propaganda,” said First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky, as cited by Itar-Tass. Bout was turned into a kind of “an evil genius”, a “baddie” from Russia. The official is confident that Moscow should continue fighting for its citizen and added that “neither the state nor the family will leave him.”

Another representative of the committee, Andrey Klimov stated that both the Bout case and the verdict are pieces of the same “political put-up job.” What the former military officer is convicted of “is utter rubbish”. Following the logic of the American justice bodies, Klimov observed, one cannot even hypothetically discuss whispering “with his wife in the kitchen” anything that can pose a threat to US interests. “That is exactly what they want to imprison Bout for,” the MP asserted.

The deputy believes that Moscow should use both political and diplomatic methods in order to prevent such violations of the rights of Russian citizens from happening in the future.

03.11, 12:45

Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko suggests suspending senators’ party membership for the time of their work in the upper house of the Russian parliament.

03.11, 14:51

The Russian Education Ministry has reversed its decision to graduate the press secretary of the Investigative Committee as a lawyer after discovering that the official’s second academic degree was forged.

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Damascus sells peace but opposition isn’t buying

01.11, 17:18

Russia will not allow the repetition of the Libyan scenario in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said after a meeting with the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Abu-Dhabi.

Arab world protests Libyan conflict Syria unrest 31.10, 22:00

There is a conspiracy involving regional powers that is aimed at overthrowing the Assad regime in Syria, warned Beirut-based political analyst Kamel Al Wazne.

Syria unrest 30.10, 13:52

Syria’s President Assad has promised “ten Afghan wars” if the West intervenes in his country’s internal affairs.

Syria unrest 28.10, 19:36

With 37 people reportedly killed by Syrian security forces in anti-government protests on Friday, opposition activists are now urging protesters to rally for a no-fly zone over the country – a move tantamount to foreign intervention.

Arab world protests 19.10, 11:45

The unrest engulfing Syria is descending into all-out conflict, with the growing violence claiming lives on both sides.

Arab world protests 15.10, 13:04

RT’s team in Syria reports on the widening gap between the capital, which staunchly supports the Assad regime, and other parts of the country, which oppose it. Meanwhile, the UN is warning of a looming civil war.

Arab world protests //

Published: 03 November, 2011, 17:12

Pro-democracy protesters, holding a huge pre-Baath era Syrian flag (AFP Photo / MOHAMMED HOSSAM)

TAGS: Conflict, Meeting, Military, Middle East, Protest, Politics, Human rights, War, Syria

The Syrian government has agreed to an Arab League peace plan to end almost eight months of unrest that has left scores dead. However, with the opposition against any initiative that would leave Assad in power, the country remains as divided as ever.

­Arab league leaders meeting in Cairo have reached a deal that could see an end of the violent uprising against President Assad that has gripped the country since March.

Under the agreement, Syria will initiate a complete cessation of violence, withdraw the large military presence from urban areas, release prisoners, hold talks with the opposition and lift the tight media restrictions which are currently in place.  

Speaking at a news conference, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani expressed the Arab’s Leagues support for the plan and the need for immediate action.   

"The Arab League welcomes the Syrian government's agreement to the Arab plan and emphasizes the need for the immediate, full and exact implementation of the articles in the plan," as cited by ABC news.  

However, the Syrian opposition rejected the peace plan on Thursday, saying that nothing short of an overthrow of the existing regime would prompt them to enter talks with the government.  

Their decision to reject the plan comes amid Syrian activists’ claims that tanks mounted with machine guns have opened fire in the city of Homs.

According to activists, security forces have shot some 20 civilians in the city and surrounding villages since Tuesday.  

Similar reports have generated serious doubts both within Syria and throughout the international community that the Arab League initiative can bring an end to violence in the country.  

For many in the opposition, Assad is merely trying to buy time with the latest promises of peace.  The opposition also claims the Arab league plan has failed to take into account the will of the people.  

“The Syrian people have decided: the regime must go. So there can be no dialogue that doesn't involve the regime leaving. A murderous regime cannot be accepted," prominent opposition figure and former judge Haitham Maleh told Reuters.

The United States also remains firmly opposed to any plan that would leave President Assad in power.  

During a press briefing at the White House, when asked if the Obama administration had been informed of most recent resolution to end violence in Syria, Press Secretary Jay Carney expressed support for the move, but remained firm that Assad was an illegitimate ruler and has to go.  

In May, US President Barack Obama imposed sanctions against Assad and other senior-level Syrian officials in response to the violent crackdown on protesters. Sanctions were also imposed on Syria's oil industry and key state businesses to exert greater economic pressure on the Syrian government.  

But despite firmly entrenched opposition to Assad in some corners, Arab diplomats have insisted that the Libyan model will not be applied to Syria under any circumstances. Russia has also opposed a repeat of the Libyan scenario, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously expressed Russia’s support for the Arab League peace initiative. For its part, NATO has ruled out conducting military operations in the country for the time being.

In the face of deeply entrenched divisions, the Arab league has pledged to continue in its attempts to bring the two parties together in the run up to a national dialogue which is expected within a fortnight.

03.11, 15:12

The US and its allies, such as the UK and Israel, may launch a missile attack on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities in the next 12 months, media speculate.

03.11, 17:47

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has scrapped his plan for a referendum on the EU bailout package. Earlier he denied rumors of his possible resignation.

Eurozone crisis

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Euro must be preserved at all costs – Sarkozy

03.11, 20:54

Thousands of anti-globalists are mixing with anti-capitalists across the French Riviera to prompt the G20 summit for a little more action. They seem to have won an ambassador to promote the Robin Hood tax at the top gathering.

Eurozone crisis Occupy Wall Street 03.11, 17:47

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has scrapped his plan for a referendum on the EU bailout package. Earlier he denied rumors of his possible resignation.

Eurozone crisis 03.11, 10:50

The G20 group of major world economies is meeting in France at a calamitous time for the euro. The eurozone is cracking at the seams, after Greece's shock announcement that it is to hold a referendum on the crucial EU bailout.

02.11, 09:18

Over 10,000 people have marched in Nice to protest against the upcoming G20 summit. The crowds, angry with the financial system and invigorated by the global “Occupy” movement, demanded governments focus on people more than corporations.

//

Published: 04 November, 2011, 00:57

Nicolas Sarkozy at press conference in Cannes on November 3, 2011 (AFP Photo / Pascal Guyot)

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TAGS: Meeting, Medvedev, EU, Crisis, Sarkozy, Merkel, Politics, G20, Bill Dod, Anissa Naouai, Economy

The sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone has dominated the first day of the G20 summit in Cannes. The Greek PM’s vacillating over a referendum in the country has brought added urgency to events as G20 leaders thrashed things out on Thursday.

The euro is at the heart the EU’s stability and must be preserved at all costs, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy summing up the results of the first day of the summit.

“We are concerned the financial crisis might hit developed economies,” said the French leader. He stressed the single currency is going through its toughest crisis ever.

“The eurozone will get a grip on itself to send a message of credibility to the world,” declared Sarkozy, urging a quicker expansion of the European bailout fund.

So far, however, only a general agreement to increase contributions to the International Monetary Fund has been confirmed by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who briefed the UK press prior to Sarkozy’s speech. This would be a tenth boost for the fund, which appears in need of yet more resources after buying much of the EU’s sovereign debt. Osborne, nevertheless, stressed this was no emergency measure.

Sarkozy cautiously welcomed the decision of the Greek government to scrap referendum plans on the European bailout program.

“The leader of the Greek opposition party has made a statement today that indicated that he was supporting the 27th of October plan,” said Sarkozy. “It's very important and I cannot but congratulate him on that, because it was very courageous of him to take that stand. PM Papandreou's statements also indicated that the referendum was not an end in itself. It was a tool that was going to be considered if the opposition takes on the 27th of October. Then the referendum became less useful.”

Greek PM George Papandreou does appear to have abandoned his plan to hold a national referendum on the EU bailout program, which Germany and France had pushed through in late October. Having stunned the G20 just before the summit, Papandreou reversed course after a rebellion within his own Socialist Party over the referendum, but ignored repeated calls to resign and call elections, reports the Associated Press.

According to Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, the final set-up of relief measures for Greece could emerge within hours, as European leaders will meet again on Thursday night in another attempt to tackle the European sovereign debt crisis. The meeting will also be attended by representatives of the European Central Bank and the IMF.

Meanwhile, Russia’s chances of entering the World Trade Organization are looking more promising once again. President Medvedev declared the country is ready to accept the compromise worked out by Switzerland to meet Georgia’s objections. The measures include an independent auditing of trade data, which will be provided by both Georgia and Russia. This opens the door for Russia to present the case for its membership during the WTO session in mid-December.

The Robin Hood tax which found its way onto the agenda of world leaders via a report by Bill Gates did not seem to go down too badly. Sarkozy said that introducing a low tax on financial transactions and bond purchasing was “technically possible” and the idea was supported by France, Germany, Brazil and Argentina.

03.11, 20:54

Thousands of anti-globalists are mixing with anti-capitalists across the French Riviera to prompt the G20 summit for a little more action. They seem to have won an ambassador to promote the Robin Hood tax at the top gathering.

Eurozone crisis Occupy Wall Street

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Let’s bomb Iran: Old song, new lyrics

02.11, 19:53

Israel’s military has test-fired a missile which is reportedly capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to any part of the Middle East and probably as far as Europe. It comes amid speculation that Tel Aviv is planning a military strike on Iran.

31.10, 18:43

The end of the Iraq war will do little to sway America’s desire to strengthen its foothold in the Middle East. As the US seeks to beef up its military presence in the Persian Gulf via a NATO-style military alliance, Iran has much cause for alarm.

26.10, 12:45

Russia has delivered to Iran a consignment of mobile radar radiation detectors and hopes to agree on a number of similar deals, a Russian arms trade official said on Tuesday.

//

Published: 03 November, 2011, 15:12
Edited: 03 November, 2011, 22:39

Marine takes up a fighting position after off loading from a helicopter (AFP Photo / Getty Images)

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TAGS: Conflict, Nuclear, UK, Politics, Iran, USA, Bill Dod, War

The US and its allies, such as the UK and Israel, may launch a missile attack on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities in the next 12 months, media speculate.

The possible bombing campaign may start after next November’s presidential election in America, reports The Guardian, citing unnamed sources in Whitehall. It also cites sources in UK’s Ministry of Defence as saying that the top brass are penning contingency plans to help the US with attacking Iran, should Washington launch offensive.

The military action may be chosen because Iran proved to be surprisingly resilient in the face of the international sanctions and the cyber attack on its nuclear facilities, allegedly perpetrated by American and Israeli hackers, the newspaper says. The damage done by the Stuxnet worm was reportedly less severe than first expected, and Iran has managed to overcome the sabotage.

The deadline for the military action is due to Tehran’s intention to move their uranium enrichment centrifuges to the military base dug beneath a mountain near the city of Qom and other heavily-fortified secret locations. Once there, missile strikes will not be able to destroy the equipment, the newspaper was told. The likely timing of the offensive is next spring, The Guardian sources say.

At the moment the hawks are waiting next week’s report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, which could be a game changer for the issue.

The newspaper says the attack will predominantly involve cruise missile attacks with limited navy engagement. Raids by commando forces may also be called for.

Meanwhile NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday the alliance has no immediate plans to get involved in the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.

Earlier this week Israeli media reported that Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is preparing an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Jewish State is reportedly arguing the case for an attack on Iran with their American allies.

Iran has been under pressure over its alleged intention to develop a nuclear weapon for years. The latest round of sanctions against Tehran was issued by the UN Security Council last year. The Islamic Republic insists that it is pursuing only civilian use of nuclear energy.

Even if Iran has not been developing nuclear weapons, with such threats it may well start doing so as a preventive measure, remarks political analyst Chris Bambery.

“I cannot imagine a worse alliance [against Iran]: America is the only power in the world to have used atomic weapons; Israel has a secret illegal nuclear program which it denied for years, but it makes it the only nuclear power in the Middle East; and Britain of course the former colonial power providing the means to get those nuclear weapons all those years ago,” he told RT.

Russia believes that only diplomatic effort based on reliable evidence and respect to all parties involved can resolve the dispute.

03.11, 13:04

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) says his office will investigate alleged crimes committed by NATO during the civil war and intervention in Libya along with those of the Gaddafi regime and the rebels.

Libyan conflict 03.11, 17:12

The Syrian government has agreed to an Arab League peace plan to end almost eight months of unrest that has left scores dead. However, with the opposition against any initiative that would leave Assad in power, the country remains as divided as ever.

Syria unrest

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